Tears run down the face of former University of Colorado football coach Jon Embree as he speaks during a press conference announcing his firing on Nov. 26 at the Dal Ward Athletic Center on the CU campus in Boulder.
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JEREMY PAPASSO
)

Camera's top 10 local news stories of 2012

Editor's note: The Camera is counting down the Top 10 local news stories of 2012 as chosen by newsroom staff. Readers also voted for their top picks.

A player from the school's glory days, he was brought in take over a floundering University of Colorado football team, in part, because he was a true Buff who bled black and gold.

But after compiling a 4-21 record over his two seasons at the helm and presiding over embarrassing losses in 2012 including a home shut-out, CU officials last month fired head football coach Jon Embree.

Embree was hired in December 2010, named over much higher profile candidates including the head coach that recruited him, and the man who brought CU its only national title, Bill McCartney.

Embree, the first African American coach in CU's history, was offered a modest salary and many had only modest expectations for his early years as coach as he worked to rebuild the program after the disappointing 5-year tenure of coach Dan Hawkins.

There were growing pains in Embree's first year, including a heartbreaking late collapse to Washington State University at home, but the team won its last game of the 2011 season on the road in Utah, and there was hope Embree would turn the program around.

But 2012 started poorly for the Buffs.

After jumping out to a 14-3 lead over rival Colorado State University in the first game of the season, Embree's Buffs went on to lose 23-17. Things failed to improve the following week when the Buffs lost at home to Division 1-AA opponent Sacramento State. A week later, the Buffs gave up 55 points in the first half on their way to a humiliating 69-14 drubbing at the hands of Fresno State.

The Buffs were able to avenge their 2011 heartbreaker by pulling out a stunning 21-point fourth quarter comeback over Washington State on Sept. 22, but that would be Embree's final win as head coach. The following week, CU lost 42-14 at home to the University of California Los Angeles, launching an 8-game losing streak against Pac-12 conference opponents during which the Buffs were outscored 397 to 120 to close out the season.

Incoming University of Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre speaks at a press conference in the club level of Folsom Field on Dec. 10.
(
JEREMY PAPASSO
)

The streak included a 49-0 beating at the hands of Stanford in Boulder on Nov. 3, CU's homecoming game. CU in 2012 failed to win at home for the first time in modern team history. It was also the first time the school recorded 11 losses in a single season.

Embree said that CU Athletic Director Mike Bohn had assured him his job was safe even after a season-ending loss to Utah. Whatever the case, Embree on Nov. 26 was answering questions at a tearful press conference announcing his dismissal.

CU officials credited Embree for his dedication to the school and especially his players, but noted that the lack of progress on the field was too troubling to ignore. Like his predecessor Hawkins, Embree will be paid a buy-out by the school. The money still owed him for the remaining three years on his contract is estimated to be $1.625 million, according to CU officials.

CU publicly courted former Cincinnati coach Butch Jones to replace Embree, reportedly offering him a five-year deal before he turned the Buffs down and ultimately took the much more attractive top job at Tennessee.

On Dec. 10, CU officials finally announced that San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre would take over as the school's 25th head football coach.

MacIntyre was brought in because, in his time at San Jose State, he helped turn a woeful program into a surprise Top 25 team. The Spartans were 1-12 in their first season under MacIntyre, but the next year they improved to 5-7. The team went 10-2 under MacIntyre in 2012, was ranked 24th in the final Bowl Championship Series rankings of the season and qualified for its first bowl game since 2006.

McIntyre signed a 5-year, $10 million deal with CU to take over what appears to be an equally daunting rebuilding project. He'll get his first chance to show what he can do on Aug. 31, when the Buffs square off with Colorado State in Denver.

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